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. Coast Guard Auxiliary No attempts to add, modify or delete information contained within this document shall be made. If errors are discovered, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarys National Training Department.

AUXILIARY WEATHER SPECIALTY COURSE

Department of Training

INTRODUCTION AND CHAPTER ONE

Photo courtesy of National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

prepared by Weather Branch

Copyright 2004 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc.

ABOUT THIS COURSE PURPOSE

Practical weather assessment Coastal patrols by Auxiliary vessels Train PE instructors

SCOPE
Basic principles of meteorology Physics without mathematics

EACH LESSON COVERS ONE CHAPTER

OV1-1

Copyright 2004 U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Association, Inc.

SYLLABUS

Getting started (Lesson 1) Atmosphere properties and behavior (Lessons 2 4) Weather systems (Lesson 5) Internet weather products (Lesson 6) Forecasting methods and tips (Lesson 7) Coping with adverse weather (Lesson 8)

OV1-2

NEWSPAPER WEATHER MAPS

H L COLD STATIONARY

H - CENTER OF HIGH PRESSURE L - CENTER OF LOW PRESSURE FRONTS

WARM
OCCLUDED JET STREAM
OV1-3

MEASURING ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

MERCURY BAROMETER ANEROID BAROMETER

INCHES OF MERCURY

VACUUM

THE ANEROID BAROMETER SCALE IS ALSO CALIBRATED TO READ INCHES OF MERCURY

OV1-4

THERMOMETERS
LIQUID
200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 100

BI-METAL STRIP
60

FAHRENHEIT

BOILING POINT OF WATER 212 oF 100 oC

90 80 70 60 50 40 40 50

FREEZING POINT OF WATER 32 oF 0 oC MERCURY OR ALCOHOL

CELSIUS

30

30 50 20 10 40 30

60

OV1-5

HYGROMETERS

HAIR

SPRING

HAIR EXPANDS OR CONTRACTS AS HUMIDITY CHANGES SCALE CALIBRATED IN RELATIVE HUMIDITY

OV1-6

ANEMOMETERS
ROTATING CUP TYPE PROPELLER TYPE

MEASURES WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION SHOULD BE MOUNTED 30 FEET HIGH IN A CLEAR AREA
OV1-7

WIND DIRECTION
WIND BLOWS FROM A COMPASS DIRECTION NORTH or NORTHERLY

WEST or WESTERLY

EAST or EASTERLY

SOUTH or SOUTHERLY

OV1-8

CHANGES OF WIND DIRECTION

CLOCKWISE VEERING

WEATHER CLEARING

COUNTER CLOCKWISE BACKING

WEATHER DETERIORATING

OV1-9

VISUAL OBSERVATION OF WIND

DIRECTION AFFECTED BY BUILDINGS AND TREES SPEED OFFSHORE PROBABLY GREATER COASTAL WARNING DISPLAY SYSTEM
OV1-10A

COASTAL WARNING DISPLAY SYSTEM

DAY NIGHT WARNING WIND SPEED (KNOTS) UP TO 33 SMALL CRAFT

GALE

33 TO 47

STORM

48 TO 63

HURRICANE
OV1-10B

64 OR MORE

CLASSIFICATION OF CLOUDS FORMS BY SHAPE HIGH CIRRO-

20000 CIRRUS CIRROSTRATUS

CIRROCUMULUS

BY HEIGHT FAMILIES

MIDDLE ALTO-
6500 ALTOSTRATUS ALTOCUMULUS

LOW (no prefix)

SURFACE
OV1-11

STRATUS

CUMULUS

CLOUDS WITH EXTENSIVE VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT

TOWERING CUMULUS WILL LIKELY GROW TO CUMULONIMBUS

CUMULONIMBUS ARE THUNDERSTORM CLOUDS

OV1-12

TYPICAL CLOUD SEQUENCE AHEAD OF WARM FRONT

RAINFALL LIGHT TO MODERATE STEADY OR INTERMITTENT TYPICAL SPEED OF ADVANCE: 12 15 KNOTS
CIRRUS CIRROSTRATUS

ALTOSTRATUS STRATUS NIMBOSTRATUS

FRONT

500
OV1-13

1,000 MILES

TYPICAL CLOUD SEQUENCE AHEAD OF COLD FRONT

MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS TYPICAL SPEED OF ADVANCE: 20 30 KNOTS
CUMULONIMBUS CIRROCUMULUS CIRRUS

ALTOCUMULUS
TOWERING CUMULUS

CUMULUS

SQUALL LINE CAN BE 50 TO 100 MILES AHEAD OF FRONT FRONT

50

100
OV1-14

150

200 MILES

VISUAL ESTIMATION OF CLOUD BASE HEIGHTS

10o

WITH ARM STRETCHED FOUR FINGERS = 10 DEGREES HEIGHT = 0.2 x DISTANCE USE KNOWN DISTANCE TO OBJECT UNDER CLOUD EDGE or ESTIMATED DISTANCE (25,000 FT) TO LOSS OF DETAIL
OV1-15

EXAMPLE USING LOSS OF DETAIL

DETAIL SEEN HERE ABOUT 11/2 HANDS DETAIL DISAPPEARS HERE

HORIZON

HEIGHT = 11/2 x 0.2 x 25,000 = 3,750 FEET WORKS BEST FOR LOW CLOUDS

OV1-16

ESTIMATING CLOUD BASE HEIGHT FROM SURFACE TEMPERATURES

HEIGHT = 1,000 x (AIR TEMP. DEW POINT TEMP.) 4.4

TEMPERATURES IN FAHRENHEIT
HEIGHT IN FEET EXAMPLE AIR TEMPERATURE = 81 oF DEW POINT TEMPERATURE = 70 oF HEIGHT = 1,000 x (81 70) 4.4 = 11,000 4.4 = 2,500 FEET

WORKS FOR CULUMUS AND ALTOCUMULUS CLOUDS DOES NOT WORK FOR STRATIFORM CLOUDS
OV1-17